An added sprinkling of Starsharks in Thor: Love & Thunder creates a  link between the MCU and the X-Men. Disney's acquisition of Fox was one of 2019's biggest talking points, but the major headline (for superhero fans at least) was the return of the X-Men and Fantastic Four to the Marvel fold. Although neither have been introduced to the MCU just yet, Spider-Man: Far From Home teased the Fantastic Four with a well-placed construction site and Kevin Feige referenced mutants at Marvel's most recent San Diego Comic Con presentation. Past links between the MCU and X-Men include the addition of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, the island of Madripoor reportedly featuring in Disney +'s upcoming The Falcon & The Winter Soldier and Thor: The Dark World containing a subtle reference to Vulcan.

Now officially delayed until 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic, a vague picture of what Taiki Waititi's Thor: Love & Thunder will look like is rapidly forming. Aside from the returning Chris Hemsworth, the fourth Thor entry will see the return of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, taking up her ex's hero persona in a storyline poached directly from the Marvel comics. Fan favorites Korg and Valkyrie are confirmed, while rumored characters include Beta Ray Bill and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Christian Bale is strongly linked in a villainous capacity, but Waititi himself has now revealed that Starsharks will also be appearing, and this creates a link between the MCU and the X-Men.

Related: Thor 4: Every Love & Thunder Reveal From The Director

The Starsharks are an alien race that first appeared in 1982 with Uncanny X-Men #162. After featuring alongside the Charles Xavier mutant squad sporadically during the 1980s, Starsharks reappeared more recently in Thor: God of Thunder, King Thor and several other non-X-Men titles. Giant, tremendously strong alien beings that float through space, Starsharks are mostly known as the vessels of X-Men villains The Brood, who capture, control and upgrade the creatures for their own evil purposes. Although certainly no stranger to Asgard's most famous son, it's exciting that a species originating in the X-Men world will soon be coming to the MCU.

It remains to be seen whether the Starsharks in Thor: Love & Thunder will be merely a background curiosity or a tangible part of the story, but the fact that Waititi has revealed their inclusion despite Marvel's usually top-secret marketing suggests the former. With that said, it would be a landmark moment if the MCU's Starsharks brought The Brood with them. The Starsharks (and potentially The Brood) are a sure sign that Marvel are now flexing their creative muscles after regaining the rights to a host of characters previously held by Fox, and the parallels between the two once disparate universes are now starting to converge. Although the additions might be minor at present, the X-Men names will only get bigger with time.

Unfortunately, Starsharks are unlikely to be how the X-Men themselves are introduced into the MCU. Their respective worlds might be starting to integrate on the big screen, but the creatures remain a relatively minor part of comic canon and wouldn't provide the kind of grand introduction mutantkind deserves upon their cinematic return. If Thor: Love & Thunder were to introduce The Brood alongside the Starsharks, however, this could present a far more direct path to the X-Men, as the aliens are a major Marvel adversary, and weren't used in any of Fox's own X-movies.

More: How Marvel’s Slate Has Changed (& Why It’s So Shocking)

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